Lead, Business Development – Licensing

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Canada.

📋 Description

• Oversee Sureel's business operations while managing the commercial strategy, deal structure, and terms from the initial discussion to final agreement.

• Negotiate licensing models, revenue frameworks, payment processes, and economic structures for platform integrations.

• Create business use cases and establish definitions of commercial success for the integration of Sureel's infrastructure with AI companies and DSPs.

• Formulate scalable licensing and economic structures for a developing category of AI rights technology.

• Design multi-stakeholder commercial agreements among rights holders and industry participants.

• Collaborate with Client Relations on rights-holder relationships, directing the commercial terms and deal economics.

• Engage with counterparts at Warner Music Group regarding commercial terms, licensing structures, and strategic objectives.

• Provide insights on market trends related to emerging technologies, competitive advancements, licensing innovations, and AI/DSP deal dynamics.

• Represent Sureel in industry and standards organizations, such as DDEX and WIPO.

• Develop pricing and packaging strategies, including enterprise, API, usage-based, transaction-fee, revenue-share, licensing-administration, analytics, and hybrid models.

• Establish repeatable commercial and licensing frameworks that can be scaled across various partners.

• Assist in structuring rights, permissions, guardrails, attribution, reporting, and economic obligations within commercial agreements.

• Manage confidential and proprietary information with utmost discretion and integrity.

• Contribute to shaping industry standards and licensing frameworks for programmatic implementation.

⛳️ Requirements

• Extensive experience in structuring and negotiating commercial agreements within the music, media, or technology sectors, including licensing deals, platform integrations, revenue-share frameworks, or rights-technology transactions.

• Proven track record of managing the business aspects of negotiations with platforms, DSPs, technology firms, or rights holders from term sheet to signature.

• Strong grasp of music-industry economics, rights revenue, licensing frameworks, and value flows.

• Proficiency with data and financial specifics, including modeling revenue structures and testing assumptions under pressure.

• Capability to structure complex deals involving multiple parties.

• Ability to represent leadership in high-stakes negotiations and make informed judgments on terms.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; capacity to remain composed in a fast-paced environment.

• Knowledge of pricing, licensing structures, technical standards, and ecosystem incentives.

• Genuine interest in the music industry and a willingness to work within a small, collaborative, startup-paced team.

• Direct experience with AI companies, DSPs, or digital service providers is a valuable asset.

• Additional qualifications include experience with artists, labels, publishers, CMOs/PROs, deal structuring, licensing, business development, commercial strategy, partnerships, industry standards/policy, C-level executives, or monetized infrastructure/API/marketplace/payment/rights-technology platforms.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive salary and performance-based bonuses.

• Comprehensive health and wellness benefits.

• Opportunities for professional development and growth.

• Collaborative work environment with a focus on innovation.